All We Are
by general73
Summary: Aurora Marcotte discovers that she's a demigod and not just some abnormal kid with ADHD and dyslexia. Which she would almost have preferred, had she not met the crazy people at Camp Half-Blood who were just like her. Begins about the same time as the Battle of the Labyrinth. Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I decided I needed to post something new. Yes, it's a short and boring chapter, but I will try to make the chapters interesting and perhaps a bit longer further on. Hope to update once a week. (Don't be angry if I don't; I'm so busy!) Enjoy and review, please!**

It was May 1st, exactly seven months after my fourteenth birthday, when the hellhound made an attempt on my life. Maybe everyone like me almost dies before they're 15. I don't know. Anyways, I was living in Toronto, ON, Canada, with my mum, just minding my own business and having a normal life. On the evening of the incident, Mum and I were grilling steaks on the back patio and watching for the occasional firefly. Summer was pretty close, and I thought about asking Mum if I could sleep out in the yard that night. Before I had the chance though, she walked inside to get the lemonade. No problem. She would not be gone long, and by then it would not be too late to ask.

As I waited for her to come back out, I heard a strange sound behind me. A sort of low growl, I sounded like. Of course I was instantly terrified, entirely certain that I was not imagining it. Growling most often meant a dog, possibly some neighbor's dog that was on a twilight fling. I was afraid of dogs and read too much science fiction, so could you blame me for being scared? I was fortunate that my fear was not paralyzing. Otherwise I would have died. As it happened, I turned to see the nameless something and found myself almost face to face with a freaking hellhound. I swallowed. Help.

"Mum?" I called, my voice cracking nervously.

When I received no response, I intended to shout again. But there was no time, because the hellhound leaped at me with a blood-curdling snarl. Reflex failed me then, and I stood in death's path, staring like an idiot. I knew I was going to die. I knew it. Mum was going to come outside again with the lemonade and find her daughter mauled to death by a gigantic, impossible hound. At least I didn't have plans for my future, geez. While I was thinking those pleasant, pre-death thoughts, the hellhound was arching through the air towards me... and then it flattened me, promptly exploding in a mess of gold dust after knocking the wind out of me and probably breaking half the bones that were chilling in my body.

"Oh, glory," I groaned, sitting up and looking at the mess. Well, nothing serious was broken. I would have noticed. First I lifted my hands to dust myself off and stopped. Why? Two reasons. One: I didn't know what the dust was exactly, and B: I had just noticed something. In my left hand was the barbecue fork. Aha. My savior. As it turned out, I'd unconsciously been holding it in front of me when the hellhound leaped. So I sat there, feeling lucky and staring at the barbecue fork in wonder. That was how Mom found me when she came back outside.

"Rory, what just happened?" she demanded, surprised and suspicious.

I realized I was shaking. "It-it was a huge... dog, Mum. At least, I think it was. Like, I dunno. Like a... a... hellhound from Greek myth!" I told her, and when I named the animal, I didn't know I was correct.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, kneeling beside me, seemingly unbothered by the disgusting dust and taking my hands gently. She seemed vaguely thrilled as well as slightly nervous.

"No, no, it killed itself on this." I held up the barbecue fork as I explained.

Mum smiled a little grimly and perhaps... a little proudly. "Good work, Rory. You were very lucky." Then her tone shifted and became strange. Kind of like Hagrid's just before he said, 'Yer a wizard, Harry.' "We've both been lucky that you've gone this long without any other monsters scenting and attacking you." You're a witch, Rory. Just kidding. I girl can hope though, right?

These things she was saying were confusing me. "Wait, Mum. I really don't understand-"

"I can't explain it very well, but we're going to take you somewhere that you'll be safe and informed. Until then though, let's just say you're in danger."

I frowned. "Okay, Mum, where are you taking me, and what am I in danger from?"

"To a camp. In New York. They'll tell you everything you need to know and then some, I'm sure." Seeing that I was about to ask another question, she cut me off. "Just go pack some things for a short road trip."

"Yes, but-"

"Aurora, go and do what I just told you to right. Now."

When she called me Aurora instead of Rory I knew she was deadly serious and did as she said without another word. Not taking time to worry about the dust that coated me, I ran into the house. Rushing into my bedroom, I began to hastily stuff the necessities into my soccer duffle-the only bag I owned that was large enough to pack more than an a single night's clothes and stuff- as my mind worked in overtime. Questions were forming in my mind and bouncing around like marbles in my pocket. Why was I in danger? What was I in danger from? Why was I almost killed by a hellhound? What had I done? Who or what was in New York that would 'explain' everything to me? Were we going to make it to New York alive? Why couldn't Mum just tell me herself what was going on? Was something wrong with me? Wouldn't it have been easier for Mum to tell me I was abnormal from the beginning?


	2. Chapter 2

Eleven hours later we were in Montauk, New York. Just as soon as we were ready, Mum had pushed me into the car the night before, and we had stopped only twice. As we drove along a narrow country road at 6:30 am, I saw from the window that we were passing farmhouses, wooded hills, and white picket fences with PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on them. I'd stayed awake all night, trying to pry information from Mum. She was impossible though. When I asked her where the hell we were going, she revealed only that it was a summer camp. Which got me wondering what kind of camp? One for hallucinating kids? Or maybe for insane children who thrived best in an environment where all their hallucinations were treated as real. Either way, I was not excited at all.

Not five minutes later, Mum pulled over on the side of the road and stopped the car. "This is as about as far as I can go," she told me.

"Okay..." I really didn't get what was going on, and to be honest, I was beginning to give up trying.

She moved like she was going to open the car door, then hesitated and leaned towards me. "Listen, Rory. I know this is all weird for you. I promise it's weird for me too."

I didn't say anything, so she continued.

"You'll be safe here."

I nodded mutely. Nothing to say. Mum had said everything would be explained later.

"Let's go, then," she said finally, opening the car door and getting out.

I followed her example. Once out of the car, I stooped a little to check my appearance in the side mirror. Other than the dark circles under my eyes from staying anxiously awake all night, I looked pretty okay. My hair looked as messy and nice as it always did. At least I could make a good impression this way. I stepped away from the car and was buffeted by a gentle, cold breeze. Mum was already 30 feet away, so I hurried after her, zipping my jacket against the chill as I went.

At the top of the hill, Mum stopped and waited for me. As I passed her she said, "Rory, wait."

I stopped and turned around, shocked to see that she had tears in her eyes.

"Mom!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry, sorry," she said quickly and pulled me into a hug. "I can't go any farther, Rory."

"Why not?" I demanded, almost frightened. "Why do I even have to go on? I won't!"

She released me and held me at arm's length, gripping my arms tightly and looking me sternly in the face. "Yes, Rory, you will go on. This is where you belong right now. You'll find that all the campers here are like you."

"I don't care! I belong back home," I insisted, not wanting to stay at this strange camp.

Mum pulled me close again and kissed my forehead, then let me go. "Good bye, Rory," she whispered, her voice low. "Be careful." With that, she turned and hurried back down to the car. Halfway there, she turned and waved sadly.

I waved back, then called, "Goodbye, Mum!"

She looked back once more, just before she got in the car. I watched her, at a loss for what to do. As she drove away, I realized that I was standing alone at the top of a hill looking down in a strawberry farm. All alone. The knowledge of my alone-ness prompted me to action. I turned and headed over the hill.  
Passing through the boundary was not something I felt so much as saw. All at once, there was no farm, although there were a great many strawberry fields off to my left. Stretching out in front of me was a camp unlike any I could have imagined. To my right I noticed the largest pine tree I'd ever seen. Uncertain in which direction to go, I struck out towards a large farmhouse.

As I walked cautiously down the hill, a big, rough-looking girl and two others-a guy and a girl who were nearly as big and just as rough-looking-freaking popped up out of nowhere. They were carrying swords and wearing... armor? What the hell was this camp.

"Who are you, demi-god?" the big girl in the lead said. It was more of a threat than a question.

I frowned. "Demi-god? Are you kidding me? Is this a joke?" I asked, feeling indignant.

The girl laughed unkindly. "So you're a newbie. What's your name?"

"What's yours?" I returned defiantly, crossing my arms.

She narrowed her eyes to cruel slits, and her pals, who had circled around me were grinning unkindly. As her eyes bored into me, I was beginning to think she was going to gut me instead of answering me.

At last, however, she said, "I'm Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares."

"Daughter of-" I laughed. "Funny. And I'm the daughter of Zeus," I quipped.

Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

I scoffed."Do you know what sarcasm is?"

Her look of slight incredulity vanished then. "Who are you?"

"My name's Aurora. Aurora Marcotte," I told her at last.

"Okay, Aurora," Clarisse said, "you should follow me to the Big House."

I lifted my chin defiantly. "Why would I do that?"

"Because that's the rules," Clarisse snapped, turning on her heel and stalking off down the hill.

"Oh." I gave up my defensive position and fell in behind her with her friends. Yay. First five minutes there, and everyone I'd met I'd been rude to. As we went, I realized that the Big House was the farmhouse I'd originally headed for. Good guess, Rory. I decided it was best not to speak until I'd met the camp head.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Aah, so sorry! This has been a long time coming, and I apologize if the end of the chapter feels a bit rushed. It's the longest chapter so far though, and I'm so proud of myself. I'll try to update again soon!**

**Heads-up! I'm going to be taking some time off from this site. I'm giving it up for Lent, which means no updating from me between Feb. 13 to March 31, okay? I'm super sorry about this absence, but it is necessary for me. I'll be sure to keep writing though, so I'll be able to update immediately upon my return. With luck, I'll get in another update or two between now and the 13th.**

**As is, love followers, favorites, and review! You are my encouragement to write! Thanks in advance for those things. And on to the story!**

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The Big House was... a big house. Really. A big, sky-blue house. Two stories, maybe an attic, and one of those old-fashioned porches that one sees in westerns. I half expected to see someone in boots and a cowboy hat lounging on the front porch. Talk about the exact opposite. There was no way to talk this guy out of it. Tall, blonde, and covered with-according to myth-a thousand blue eyes. They might have been fake, but they blinked. Awkward. I didn't really occur to me that I was staring.

"Argus, tell Chiron I've found a new camper," Clarisse addressed the multi-eyed dude.

He didn't say anything in response, only nodded and went into the house.

Camper. I noticed that she didn't say demi-god. While we waited for Chiron, the silence was heavy and slightly uncomfortable. Clarisse seemed content to glower at me in silence, and I was certainly content to be silent. Like Mark Twain said, "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." Crossing my arms casually, I shifted from one foot to the other, growing slightly impatient. Just before I sighed in irritation, the guy with all the eyes-Argus, Clarisse had called him-stepped out on the porch. I watched him make eye contact with Clarisse, then jerk his head to motion her into the house.

"Let's go, Aurora Borealis," Clarisse ordered, motioning me to precede her up the steps.

"It's just Aurora, thanks," I corrected her.

Her nostrils flared as she snarled at me, "Move."

I held up my hands in surrender. "Alright, okay, I'm going." I don't know why she wanted me to go first, because she bounded up the stairs before I reached the top of them. I would have rolled my eyes, but curiosity got the better of me, and I was focused on the doorway, not on Clarisse. Following her inside, it was noticeably warmer-not hot-and a bit dark. Understandably though, because they sun was out in full force, despite the cool breeze. I guess I didn't pay much attention to how we got there, because all at once we walked into what I recognized as an occupied office.

"Good morning, Clarisse."

My eyes found the speaker: a white centaur. Yep, that's what I said. Maybe a blink would help. The centaur was probably an optical illusion. So I blinked. He was still there. These thoughts took less than 3 seconds, so my awkward concern went nigh unnoticed.

"Welcome, demi-god," said the centaur, inclining his head politely. It was obviously not a bow, more of a nod of acknowledgement.

"I, er, hi," I replied uncertainly.

"I am Chiron, the camp activities director. What is your name?"

Okay, simple question. Very normal, even from something that wasn't-from a centaur. "Aurora Marcotte." There. That answered his question. Could I just, you know, go home now or something?

"Aurora," Chiron repeated. "And where are you from, Aurora?"

What was this, some kind of interview? "I'm from Toronto," I said slowly, "and call me Rory." Then I added as an afterthought, "Please."

To my surprise Chiron did not seem annoyed by my rudeness, possibly because I corrected myself, and he smiled. "Alright, how old are you?"

"I turned fourteen 7 months ago yesterday," I replied I paused for a few seconds, then continued. "Sorry, but something's bothering me."

Chiron nodded, sort of giving me permission to say what was on my mind.

"Clarisse called me, um," I shifted uncertainly. Should I go ahead and say something that might tell me something I didn't want to know? This situation was bad luck. And although you can always run from bad luck, you can't hide from it. Shit. Time to face up to... whatever was coming next. "You both called me a demi-god, and I know it wasn't a slight on me."

"No duh," Clarisse snorted, rolling her eyes.

I glared at her.

Chiron looked at her also, but kindly, and said, "Gently, please, Clarisse." Then he looked at me. "Tell me, Rory: what do you know of the Greek gods?"

"The Greek gods? Well, when they got with mortals, those children were called demi-gods," I replied. All at once curiosity bubbled up inside of me. If I was a demi-god... that would mean that I had a god for a parent! And as cool as that might sound, there had to be a catch. Something big and nasty. Realizing what those thoughts meant, I immediately felt skeptical of the entire situation. If there were consequences of being a demi-god-if that's what sort Chiron and Clarisse meant-, I'd rather not be one, go home to Toronto, and live with Mum, start high school, and keep in touch with my friends there. So I suppressed my curiosity with reality.

"Is that all you know?" Chiron asked, radiating a 'worried that was all I knew' vibe as he did so.

I laughed some at that. Once my humor was expended, I said, "No, no, that's not all I know. No. Most of the Greeks myths I know by heart, and I'm familiar with all the gods."

"That is good news," said Chiron with relief.

Suddenly my smile faded. "Wait. Maybe that's... Yeah, no, I'm familiar with all the Greek gods, but the only myths I know very well are Norse. Fan of Thor." I raised a tentative thumbs-up.

Chiron cocked an eyebrow at me. "Do you know any Greek myths? You know about Hercules, Daedalus, and Antaeus?"

"Yes, yes, I know them. Hercules is Zeus's son, Daedalus is Athena's, and Antaeus is Poseidon's," I rattled off, feeling like a brainiac for a few seconds.

"You know their stories, then?" Chiron asked. "And some Greek history?"

I nodded vigorously. "I do, I do. I studied the Greeks this last year, and they were my favorite history module in every year of middle school."

"Very good," Chiron said, relief prominent in his voice again, "because Rory, they are real."

Huh? "They're rea-the Greek gods are-real," I managed to say and promptly began to laugh. That wasn't good. They'd throw me in the chokey for sure. To cover myself, I started to cough. Never, ever cough to stop yourself from laughing. I freaking doesn't work for shit! It was supposed to work. Chiron was supposed to think that some office carpet follicles had invaded my respiratory system and that I was kicking those follicles' ass. What really happened was that I couldn't stop laughing, choked, and started to cough for real. Really? Really?! All I could think was, _THIS IS NOT HAPPENING TO ME. I AM MAKING MYSELF LOOK STUPID_.

After nearly 30 seconds, I got control of myself. With my eyes watering and my breath short, I felt like the world's biggest idiot. What a wonderful first impression I made! Wiping my eyes on my jacket sleeve, I took a deep breath and scowled. "Sorry."

Clarisse and Chiron were looking at me like I'd just swallowed a kitten. Whole. "Are you finished?" was all the stupid centaur said when I had recovered.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Done. I'm done. Are you were saying. The Greek gods are real."

"Very real."

I thought for a moment, then said, "And God with a capital 'g'? Where does he come in?"

"Metaphysical. Irrelevant, you must understand," Chiron replied."Yeah, I totally understand. I'm not... religious. My mum never was into religion."

"That really makes a lot of things easier. Many who come here are devoutly religious, and some have died ignoring the gods," Chiron said.

"Yeesh," I said, scratching my neck nervously, "sounds a bit... harsh."

"The gods do not have a tolerance for non believers," he said simply. "How did you get here, Rory?" he asked suddenly.

"I-my mum drove out here last night," I told him, curious as to how this mattered. Apparently it did, because Chiron nodded gravely.

"Then your mother is a mortal, and the question is: who is your father? Which of the gods?"

I shrugged, at a loss. "I dunno; any I guess. How do I know?"

"How do you know?" he repeated. "He will claim you."

"And when does that happen?" I asked.

It was Chiron's turn to shrug. "Who knows? Maybe never. Maybe in 5 years. Or tonight. It's impossible to say."

My spirits dropped. Dammit. Had to be a demi-god and probably wouldn't get claimed. Bad luck. This was bull. Unfair. Why did I have to come to this stupid camp and be a loser who didn't even get claimed cause I didn't matter to any freaking god. "Well, that's joyful."

"Have faith in the gods, Aurora Marcotte," Chiron told me. "All you can do is have faith." Then he turned to Clarisse, who I only just realized was still standing there. "If you would go now, Clarisse, I would like to speak with Rory alone."  
Clarisse glared at me once more and stalked out.

"Now Rory," Chiron said, "can you tell me everything that has happened since your first strange situation."

It took me less than five minutes to tell him about the hellhound, but judging by his reaction, a hellhound was an impressive adversary for an untrained demi-god. Also, I was glad that he didn't laugh about how it had died. He only told me how lucky I was to be alive.

When our little talk was over, Chiron made me watch this orientation film that I didn't even pay attention to. I was glad when it was over, because that meant it was time for my tour of the camp.

As we walked out onto the porch of the Big House, Chiron said mostly to himself, "I wonder who your father is, Aurora."

_I do too_, I thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey, guys! So sorry for the long wait; I've been really busy! Okay, that was a typo. I meant really lazy. My apologies, and I crave your pardon! Welp, this is it! Chapter 4. I hope you like it. :P It's been in progress for a while. I promise to try and update more often after this, okay? **

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"As we go, I will introduce you to some of the other campers," Chiron told me as we walked towards the strawberry fields.

I didn't say anything then, but it sounded good to me. It's always easier to meet people when there's a third party involved. As was passed the volleyball pit, several people glanced my way. But who's interested in some new camper who arrived too old to be anything more special than a child of... Who was a minor god? Apollo? Was being one of his children considered lame? Because if it were, then that's who I was bound to be.

In the fields, young goat men were playing crude, Paleolithic instruments, the song of which seemed to be causing a mass exodus of bugs from the plants.

"So..." I asked, "why strawberry plants?" It didn't make sense why a demigod institute would have such an abundance of said fruit.

"The camp director, Mr. D-names have power, Rory. Do not use his, please."

Chiron cut my off nicely just before I fully got out the first syllable of the director's real name. So I just thought it, to make sure I committed it to memory. Dionysus.

"As the god of wine, he has an extraordinary effect of grape vines," Chiron explained. "However, due to certain events, he was restricted from wine and grapes. We grow strawberries instead, the funds from selling which pay Camp Half-Blood's expenses."

Then I realized how close we were to the forest, and I was pleased how wild it looked. Sometimes my mom and I would go camping up north in the woods on the weekends. The thick trees and undergrowth reminded me of those woods. It was actually... kind of nice.

"Capture the flag is tonight and every Friday night. You will need a sword and shield, assuming you do not have one already," Chiron told me.

"Wait, why would I need a sword to play capture the flag?" I demanded, curious. What sort of barbaric game did demigods play and then call 'capture the flag'.

Chiron chuckled. "As children of the Greek gods, your minds are hardwired for ancient Greek language and fighting. Your dyslexia and ADHD? That is your mind trying to read Greek and wanting to fight. All demigods are that way."

So Chiron was basically telling me that I sucked at getting an education because I couldn't read English and wanted to go kill monsters. I liked it better when I thought my brain was just badly wired. Because now I realized that demigods weren't special. Unless, that is, you counted their ability to fight and die. I was an ancient Greek descendant, bred to be a soldier. I knew it; my life sucked.

"I will show you where the armory is, and after our tour, you can stop in and ask for help finding a sword that fits you," Chiron was saying, interrupting my train of thought.

"Um, okay," I agreed, not entirely certain what he just said. Instead of trying to find out, I just followed him.

During the tour, Chiron pointed out the archery range, the stables, a javelin range, a sing along amphitheater-Oh, my gods, I hate sing along like small children hate large spiders-,the canoeing lake, and the arena for sword and spear fights. Which I guess was logical, seeing as we were going to play capture the flag with real swords and shields. Although I didn't ask, he told me the arena was mostly for Cabin challenges. From how he talked about them, it was pretty clear to me that people often died during said challenges. Bloodshed. Killing people to settle arguments. Awesome. The mess hall was a little weird, because it was without walls or a roof. I'd have thought that with the weather in New York at least a roof would be nice, but I was sure they had their reasons.

The most interesting part of camp was the cabins. They were arranged in a U with two at the base and five along each side and definitely Greek. Each one had a large brass number above the door, with the even ones on the right and the odds on the left. The cabin numbered 7 seemed to be made of gold, which didn't blind me only because the sun was behind the clouds. Damn, they were all strange and unique, and in the middle of the U was a grassy commons infested with statues, flower beds, fountains, and... basketball hoops? Was that supposed to be funny or just weird? Because I was getting the odd vibe.

"Each cabin represents one of the twelve Olympians," Chiron explained when he saw my face, which I assume looked pretty confused. As he was showing me the cabins, we walked around the curve, past the even cabins.

"Oh," I answered, still trying to take it all in. Then I noticed the three cabins at the base of the U. All looked unused though well cared for. "Why are the three there empty?"

"Those are the cabins of Zeus and Hera," Chiron replied. "No one ever stays in one,two, or three."

As he spoke, we passed cabin one, and I found myself in front of the less pompous-looking cabin three. It was made of rough gray stone, coral and seashells embedded in it. Poseidon, I thought, judging from the ocean materials. Chiron was distracted for a moment by a camper across the green, so his warning, "Aurora, I would not do that" came too late, because I had already stepped up to the threshold and stuck my head inside. The sea breeze that blew through and ruffled my hair smelled salty and fresh in an exciting way.

"Let's keep moving, Rory," Chiron said, leading me away from cabin three.

As we passed cabin five, I wrinkled my nose in disgust. The awful paint job was a sloppy, annoying bright red. The trenches design made me think Ares, and that was confirmed when I saw Clarisse inside. She sneered at me, so I rolled my eyes at her. That bitch. I had a feeling that our disagreements were far from over.

We were passing cabin twelve when a guy, probably 16 or 17, came walking out with a sheathed sword in his hand. Seeing Chiron, he stopped short and bowed. "Sir."

"Hello, Pollux," Chiron answered him, then gestured to me. "I would like you to meet our newest camper, Aurora Marcotte."

"Hey, Aurora," Pollux said, giving me a lopsided grin that made my stomach flip.

"Call me Rory," I told him, returning the smile and shaking his hand. Do normal people shake hands when they make each other's acquaintance? I don't think I've ever shaken the hand of someone who wasn't an adult. Weird.

"Nice to meet you."

"Ditto," I said, making what was probably to him casual eye contact but to me felt sort of... awkward? But I'm not awkward... Holy crap, his eyes were purple! Well, more like violet, but still. Was that normal? Chiron had said cabin twelve was Dionysus, which would probably explain wine-colored eyes.

It only took me about 3 seconds to process, but Chiron was already speaking again. "I have masters' archery class at noon; would you mind taking Rory from here?"

Grinning that adorable lopsided grin that was even more adorable the second time he grinned it, Pollux said, "Of course, sir. I'd be glad to."

"She's undetermined," Chiron added before trotting away.

I watched him go, then turned back to Pollux. "Undetermined is awkward."

He laughed. "Not really. Most people don't get claimed immediately. It's the rare cases."

Oh, my God-gods, I mean. It's gods now. But Oh, my gods this guy had better not ever think of me as a little sister.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: OMG I'm sorry this took me so long to post; I've been so busy! Anyhoo, my apologies for how short and boring it is. It's character building filler! Sort of... I promise that the next chapter will be more exciting, all right? So... enjoy? XD**

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As we crossed the commons, I was concerned when Pollux chose to cross over one of the basketball courts where an intense game was taking place. He literally walked along the midcourt line. So against my better judgement, I crossed next to him. In the chaos of shouting, dribbling, jumping, and running, somehow the ball escaped the players and was on a charted flight path to give me a concussion at my 3 o'clock. It all happened so fast that I didn't really get what happened until Pollux told me. But one second I was walking next to him and the next I was leaning back, and he was holding a basketball.

"The hell just happened?" I asked, frowning in confusion. People don't usually lean back so far when they're walking like normal human beings.

"You just went full-on Neo and dodged that," Pollux replied, grinning and effortlessly tossing the ball over my head to the players. Damn. The younger you are, the hotter the older guys get. Not to mention that I'm a sucker for the basketball players. "Did you even see it coming?"

I shook my head. "I kinda just... felt it?" Too bad it wasn't the Force.

"Not bad, Rory," he said. "Not bad." By his tone I could tell he was a bit impressed, probably because he was just spared carrying me to a hospital. "Now let's go introduce you to your cabin mates."

As it turned out, I got to join the Hermes Cabin, number 11 on the U. Definitely the shabbiest, its paint was peeling, a caduceus overhung the door, and my gods was it packed! Hermes Cabin has this policy that if you're a child of the god, an unclaimed demigod, or a travelling halfblood, then you are welcome to lodge there. He's the god of travelers or something. If there were as many campers in the other cabins as well, Camp Half-Blood could have over-populated Long Island easily. Okay, that was a slight exaggeration, but there were seriously a ton of kids in Cabin Eleven.

"Why so many campers in one cabin?" I asked Pollux. "Does Hermes just get around more than the others?"

"They're not all his children," he explained with a laugh. "All unclaimed campers-like you, for example-and children of other minor gods stay in Cabin Eleven."

"And the minor gods don't have cabins... why?" Probably because there were so many. At least, that's what I expected him to say.

"I don't know why, actually," was his reply instead. "I've wondered, as it doesn't seem very fair."

"Oh. That's awkward."

The door of the cabin was open as we approached, and someone shouted something that made Pollux grin and run up the stairs. It all became clear when a tall, lanky guy with curly brown hair and a devilish, amused expression met Pollux halfway across the porch and initiated a broshake. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to wait until I was remembered. Fortunately, that wasn't long at all, because then Pollux was calling me over for an introduction.

"Connor, this is Aurora, but she goes by Rory. Rory, meet Connor."

"Nice to meet you, Connor," I said. He was attractive, but Pollux made him look average. When he smiled, his blue eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Likewise, Rory."

We didn't shake hands. There should be a rulebook for that stuff.

"Unclaimed, then?" he asked.

I resisted the urge to sigh. "Yep."

He exchanged a look with Pollux. "Come on inside, you two. I'll show you around."

I assumed he was talking at me for the last part, because Pollux appeared pretty familiar with Cabin Eleven. So I followed him inside.

"Hey, guys!" Connor shouted, and everyone looked up. "New camper here, Aurora. She goes by Rory."

"Welcome to Cabin Eleven, Rory!" a guy shouted.

Looking at him, I felt certain that he must've been Connor's identical twin until Connor introduced him as his older brother, Travis.

"Undetermined, I guess?" Travis asked.

Oh, my gods, that word was really starting to get on my nerves. "Unfortunately."

Why was he grinning? There was nothing amusing about being unclaimed, not to mention how it was pretty embarrassing.

"We'll be your counselors while you're in Cabin Eleven," Connor told me. "Since we are just a bit short on space in here, you'll have to take that empty space on the floor over there." He gestured to a clear spot in the sea of backpacks and sleeping bags and crap. "Travis will steal you a bag and other shit at the camp store." He winked.

I raised my eyebrows and was about to ask about their definition of "steal," but Pollux coughed like he was covering a chuckle and said quickly, "It's a Hermes thing. You'll appreciate it later."

When he said that, I was pretty sure he meant that he knew from experience how awesome their ability to nick junk was. When it comes to stealing, there is just too much gray area to call it most of the time. So I let it go with a short laugh.

"All right, now that you've got your camp mapped out, I'll show you around some more," Pollux said.

"Chiron actually showed me like, everything already," I said. He probably didn't miss anything very big in his tour, I added to myself.

"Aww, no Chiron is just the activities director, Rory!" Connor laughed. "He just shows you where everything is, not how everything works."

There was a short silence in which he waited for me to say something and I waited for him to finish. It ended when he said finally, "Seriously, brah, let Pollux show you around; he's been going here for years."

Well, that settled it. If Pollux was a seasoned professional at Camp Half-Blood, then I guess following him for the day couldn't be too bad.

"Let's go," Pollux said as he went down the steps two at a time and stopped to wait for me at the bottom.

"See you later, guys," I told Connor and Travis, then followed.

"Ciao, Rory!" one of them shouted, I wasn't sure which.

As I followed Pollux, my mind was whirling with frustration. The one thing I really wanted to happen that day was to get claimed. I wanted to be certain of my godly parent, and if possible, get the hell out of Cabin Eleven. Sure, Travis and Connor were really cool guys, but it was crowded. And I'd never stolen anything in my life. Being a daughter of Hermes would suck if I were a lousy sneak. I needed to know who my dad was! I needed to know so. Damn. Badly. And then it hit me.

"Pollux," I exclaimed.

He stopped short and turned quickly to face me. "What is it, Rory?" He looked worried, and I realized that I'd been really sudden and violent in my saying his name. I grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, it's just... Chiron kept talking about my dad being a god."

"If you're at Camp, Rory, then you have to have a godly parent-"

"No, that's just it!" I shouted, excitedly. "I'm adopted!"

"Which would mean that your mother could be a goddess," Pollux supplied for me. To my relief, he seemed a little excited too. It would mean that the cool something I would be able to do can from an even bigger pool then.

"Exactly!" Don't blame me for getting excited; it was exciting!


End file.
